“Cutting” a word in Excel can mean moving text to another cell, pulling out part of a cell (like a first name or a product code), or deleting a word from many cells at once. Excel has a tool for each: the Cut command, text functions such as LEFT and TEXTAFTER, Flash Fill, Text to Columns, and Find and Replace. This guide shows which to use and how, with examples you can copy.
Quick answer
To move a word, double-click the cell, select the word, press Ctrl + X, then click into another cell and press Ctrl + V. To extract or remove part of the text in many cells, use Flash Fill (Ctrl + E) or a formula such as =TEXTBEFORE(A2,” “) to get the first word.
Method 1: Cut and paste a word
- Double-click the cell, or select it and press F2, to edit it.
- Select the word you want to move.
- Press Ctrl + X and press Enter.
- Double-click the destination cell, click where you want the word, and press Ctrl + V.
To cut an entire cell’s contents, select the cell (without editing it) and press Ctrl + X, then select the destination and press Ctrl + V.
Method 2: Flash Fill (no formulas)
- In the column next to your data, type the result you want for the first row. For example, if A2 is “Jane Smith”, type Jane in B2.
- Move to B3 and press Ctrl + E, or go to Data > Flash Fill.
Excel spots the pattern and fills the rest of the column. It works for first names, last names, domains from email addresses, and similar patterns. Check the results; Flash Fill guesses, and unusual entries can trip it up.
Method 3: Formulas to cut part of the text
Formulas update automatically when the source changes. With “Jane Smith” in A2:
- First word: =TEXTBEFORE(A2,” “) returns Jane (Microsoft 365 and Excel 2024).
- Everything after the first space: =TEXTAFTER(A2,” “) returns Smith.
- Older Excel versions: =LEFT(A2,FIND(” “,A2)-1) for the first word and =MID(A2,FIND(” “,A2)+1,100) for the rest.
- A fixed number of characters: =LEFT(A2,3) keeps the first three characters; =RIGHT(A2,4) keeps the last four.
- Split into several cells: =TEXTSPLIT(A2,” “) spills each word into its own column (Microsoft 365).
Method 4: Text to Columns
- Select the column with your data.
- Go to Data > Text to Columns.
- Choose Delimited and click Next.
- Tick the separator, such as Space or Comma, and click Next.
- Choose a Destination cell so your original data is not overwritten, then click Finish.
Method 5: Delete a word from many cells
Find and Replace
- Select the range and press Ctrl + H.
- In Find what, type the word (include a space before or after it if needed). Leave Replace with empty.
- Click Replace All.
Use a wildcard to remove everything after a character: find * (a space then an asterisk) to delete everything after the first space.
SUBSTITUTE formula
=SUBSTITUTE(A2,”Inc. “,””) removes “Inc. ” from the text in A2 while keeping the original intact. Wrap it in TRIM() to clean up extra spaces.
Turn formula results into plain text
When your formulas are correct, select the results, press Ctrl + C, then right-click and choose Paste Values. You can then delete the original column without breaking anything.
Frequently asked questions
Why does Flash Fill not work?
Make sure the result column is directly next to your data, that you typed at least one example, and that Flash Fill is turned on in File > Options > Advanced > Automatically Flash Fill. Typing a second example helps when the pattern is unclear.
Do TEXTBEFORE and TEXTAFTER work in my version?
They are available in Microsoft 365, Excel 2024 and Excel for the web. In Excel 2021 and earlier, use LEFT, RIGHT, MID and FIND instead.
How do I cut the last word instead of the first?
Use =TEXTAFTER(A2,” “,-1). The -1 tells Excel to search from the end of the text.
Related guides
- How to search for a word in Excel
- How to add a word to all cells in Excel
- How to capitalize the first letter of each word in Excel
Summary
- Use Ctrl + X and Ctrl + V to move a word.
- Use Flash Fill (Ctrl + E) to extract patterns without formulas.
- Use TEXTBEFORE, TEXTAFTER, LEFT, RIGHT or MID to cut part of the text.
- Use Text to Columns to split text into separate cells.
- Use Find and Replace or SUBSTITUTE to delete a word from many cells.
Kermit Matthews is a freelance writer based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with more than a decade of experience writing technology guides. He has a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Computer Science and has spent much of his professional career in IT management.
He specializes in writing content about iPhones, Android devices, Microsoft Office, and many other popular applications and devices.